Daricend
by MoreThanSexy
Summary: Far away was a land like no other. This land was filled with people, and creatures of all sorts. The land was called Sychost... Eris had been crying for only a moment when she realized that she was being watched... The voice calling her name was growing s
1. Default Chapter

Far away was a land like no other. This land was filled with people, and creatures of all sorts. The land was called Sychost. Sitting against the cold hard wall of stone facing a lake and waterfall crying was a girl named Eris. Eris had been crying for only a moment when she realized that she was being watched. She had gotten the feeling that someone had been watching her several times that day. She stood and looked about...nothing; there was no one in sight, no animals, no people, no dragons or stwirgs. Then she realized the one thing she had not considered was that it was in fact the overwhelming aloneness she felt that was making her mind play tricks.  
  
Eris was scared to be alone, and scared not to be. Nothing could be completely and perfectly right with her and other people. She then got another feeling that someone was watching her this time when she turned about, still being caught up in her own thoughts, stumbled right into her silent, cloaked watcher. She quickly mumbled an apology and clumsily stumbled in the other direction.  
  
After only a minute she realized she was hearing her name. Again she turned, and again she found nothing, her watcher was gone. The voice calling her name was growing stronger and louder. Now she ran to try and find its source, she ran and ran and ran until finally the voice stopped. She looked down at the ground to hear her name again, this time coming from a little stwirg. A creature much unlike anything you could imagine the size of a bottle cap in the shape of a sphere with tiny bright yellow flat feet and fuzzy fur. This particular stwirg was electric pink, and it was looking up at her with big black  
  
eyes, since they have no mouths it she was trying to figure out how it was calling her.  
  
Suddenly she heard it say, "It is mind communication, stupid,  
  
and I am not going to allow you to ask any questions, I have specific orders for you I can read your thoughts so don't even think of leaving, I will only call you back and believe me if you thought that was loud you have no idea, I could burst your eardrums even if this is only mind comming. I have called you for no reason other than that you are to be sent away from here immediately... Stop thinking this instant, I know that should not be hard for you of all people; you will not question me or the quest that I am to tell you about. Listen. You will leave this land immediately following your instructions. You will arrive in Daricend and when you get there you immediately ask the villager closest to you please to direct you to The Astm Lanir. When you get there a cloaked man will explain what you will do from then on. Do not waste any time, you will go immediately to The Astm Lanir, do not forget, the city of Daricend is very beautiful and breathtaking, but you must not forget what you are to do. Understand?"  
  
Eris stood silently for a moment, then becoming angrier asked "Who are you? Why are you doing this to me? How dare you speak of that city and that shop and how do you know of the cloaked man I saw watching me? And why of all things am I to speak with this stranger who does not reply but awaits in the shadows watching me? And who exactly do you think you are? What's your name and why do you choose me for your quest? I do not understand and I will not go to that horrid city that entranced my brother and took his soul. Do you think I have not heard of "The Great Daricend"? Do you think I know not of the tales of what happens to a person the very moment they lay eyes on what you call a breathtaking city? Yes, oh, certainly yes, it will in fact take your breath away and your money, dignity and sanity as well. I repeat: I will not go there. And I will leave if you do not tell me why I should."  
  
"To answer all of your questions... I am Knosso. I am not doing this to you; I am only giving you instructions. I know of the cloaked watcher because I was told by him that you were perfect for the quest, he will explain himself and his actions to you when you speak to him. I think I am exactly who I am, and again, I did not choose you for the quest, he will explain his actions when you two speak. I can read your thoughts and I know that you understand every word, the city will only enchant you if you meant to live the life of people there. Your brother was meant to and I am sorry he disowned your family and caused your parents such grief but it is partly because of him that you were chosen for this journey. I do not think you haven't heard of Daricend, but your perception of it is warped due to other circumstances. Your parents talked of the city like it was some other lands hell because they don't want you to go there and meet with your brother, he has many secrets they do not want you to find out. That is why they left. Now you are going and you will do as I said. Good day and good luck, you will be leaving now."  
  
And with that Eris flew into the air and drifted into the spell of the wind and journey. As she was sleeping amongst the clouds the witch Sappho watched her speaking in her loud booming voice, "So you think you will fool me? You think I will be stopped? You have not seen the last of the great goddess of darkness and death. I will win and take over your land. You can not beat me." She laughed to herself "How brilliant I am, the people of Daricend would be lucky to have me as their queen" her loud booming laugh trailed down the corridor of the underground cavern she was in. her thoughts left to their normal selfish stature as she left the cavern for Daricend.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN:: So how does every body like the story so far? A bit childish but its still fun! Lol yeah but that's ok because we are all still children at hear and my inner child is 8 seriously I took a test! Lol yeah no life I know but that's why there's a story! 


	2. Chapter 2

Eris woke to find herself looking down at the Caldera Sea; it was the same sea that she was sitting next to when she was crying what seemed to be only moments ago. she cringed as her memory of why she was crying came into sharp view causing a tear to fall from her eye. She momentarily forgot why she was crying as she watched the tear fall. It kept falling until she lost sight of it. She then realized just where she was and how high that place was. She began to panic when she realized she had not noticed what was holding her up. She was flying on a cloud. Everything she had learned in school suggested that clouds were nothing more than air vapor obviously not able to hold more than a rain drop let alone a whole human. She got lost in her train of thought and thought herself back to sleep. When she woke up again she was descending at a rather fast pace toward the land of Daricend.  
  
Eris arrived and took only a moment to gaze at the beautiful city; she realized that she had a job to do. Just then a young girl not much older than herself came up and asked what she was looking for. The girl spoke with such a soft shy voice she wasn't sure she had heard her right. She was so pretty and innocent looking.  
  
Eris answered, "I am looking for The Astm Lanir, do you know it?"  
  
"Yes, yes I know it well, my name is Sapphire, I can take you to The Astm Lanir if you like." She said.  
  
"Thank you very much. I am Eris, I don't live here, and I'm just meeting someone. The funniest thing happened to me earlier, I was um... reading by the shore when I was called by a little stwirg, he sent me here and I am to go on some extravagant mission of sorts! Isn't that odd? I'm sorry to be rambling on, it's just that I must tell someone, and you are being such a help."  
  
"No really, all this fascinates me, you must go on. Who are you meeting? What sort of mission? How did a stwirg call you? How did you get here? Where did you come from? I think it would be absolutely wonderful to go on an adventure! Oh, here we are The Astm Lanir, would you like me to come in with you? There's usually a rough crowd in there."  
  
"Well Knosso practically came out and said I was to do all of this by myself but I really would like to have someone with me. Yes please come in but I think I have to talk with someone alone, you understand, its all official but I will tell you everything after I get further instructions. Thank you for showing me here."  
  
"No problem, I think this is all wondrous, so exciting!"  
  
They entered The Astm Lanir it was so luxurious, and fancy Sapphire immediately went and sat down at what appeared to be a bar and Eris looked around and noticed the cloaked man she went over and sat down as nonchalantly as she could. He greeted by saying," that's what you consider nonchalantly?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN:: Now what will she do? Go a head guess because only I know... MWAHAHAHAHA... ok never mind... 


	3. Chapter 3

"Well..." she replied "Well nothing... keep your voice down to nothing above a whisper. Who is that girl you came with? Oh no, you didn't tell her anything did you?" his was becoming deeper and softer with every word his look told her he was extremely troubled over this specific bit of information.  
  
"Her name is Sapphire, and she was kind enough to show me to this place. Of course she wondered why I was here and all, so I had to explain about that crazy stwirg who was "mind comming" me or whatever. You people are so weird, can't you just__"  
  
"YOU FOOL!" He exclaimed, "You could ruin everything we have worked for, EVERYTHING!!!"  
  
Eris, sick of stupid lectures from stupid adults, zoned out the loser and he continued to ramble on for several minutes.  
  
::Sigh:: "Are you done yet?" She answered with a yawn.  
  
His face turned a deeper shade of red and he looked ready to explode.  
  
Realizing what she had done, Eris quickly apologized, "Please, tell me what is going on anyways?"  
  
"No, ok, No, pills! WEEEE" He exclaimed wildly.  
  
"Um, what?" She asked deciding whether to laugh or run away screaming.  
  
"Sorry about that, I have turrets, I forgot my pills today." He apologized profusely and began again.  
  
"Well, I was watching you....one day...and you were crying...and I realized, that I loved you. Eris, I have known you for many years, when your brother came to this town, he told me all about you, that was of course, before his soul was harvested by the evil Lordess Sappho."  
  
"But, what, I__" Eris was speechless.  
  
"No, do not speak," He said quietly, "I have been watching you for 2 years, and I've decided that you are my true soul mate, but before we can get marred__"  
  
"Yo, hold up, marred? What is that?" She asked disgustedly  
  
"Oh, excuse me, I meant married." He replied  
  
"HOLD UP TIMES TWO! Since when did I say I was marrying you?" She asked, appalled.  
  
"Well, that is why I said before we get married, we have a mission to complete, we must save your brother from the Lordess Sappho (dun dun dun) I'm sure on this mission you will come to love me, and we will surely get married when it is through."  
  
"Maybe you should just stop your insane psychotic lusting for me for one minute and explain who the hell you are and where my brother is and why exactly and what exactly I am supposed to do on this 'mission' of yours."  
  
"I am Vitron, your brother has been taken by the very person you came here with, you should not have told her PARLAY damn to the depths sorry turrets... any way you said her name was Sapphire? Well that doesn't sound at all like Lordess of the death and darkness Sappho does it? She has disguised herself, even though you probably ruined our chances of saving your brother I still love you, because this could work to our advantage. You can find where she is staying, you can_ BUBBLES_ sorry... help to find your brother. She took his soul, not this city, while it is enchanting it doesn't take souls. She took him and many others like him, she enchanted them and is trapping them away somewhere, you could find out where, but you must not let her find out you know what she doesn't think you know that you really in all actually do know but she doesn't want you to know that she knows and you have to trick her into showing us."  
  
Eris still in total shock that her one friend could be an old witch her very enemy that took her brother's soul and trapped him somewhere could. She knew it had to be done even if she did have to save her brother through a strange man who was obsessed with her and the very person who did this to her brother. "Fine, but what if she figures us out? Are we to be left at her mercy? I would do anything for my brother to make my parents happy again, but what if_"  
  
"No more with the 'what ifs', life is taking chances and being who you make yourself. If you question everything you do you will convince yourself not to do it, then you will end up where you were this morning_ crying, feeling sorry for yourself because you have no friends because you are to scared to take a chance with anything or anyone. Just do it and make sure she doesn't figure it out"  
  
"Well, well" thought 'Sapphire' "they have me figured out, well lets see how smart they are when I lead them right to a trap."  
  
What Vitron didn't know is that Sappho (Sapphire) could read lips better than anyone and that he and Eris were about to be sucked into a web of lies and trickery unlike anything they had ever known before.  
  
What Eris was thinking was that she was perfectly fine this morning sitting and just crying, unhappy, but still fine and if she knew what was going to happen to her she never would have agreed to go to help her brother. She was lost in her thoughts as usual when Vitron yelled, "I AVAS" his turrets seemed to be going for the pirate sayings, it would be very annoying to have him watching her and looking at her like she was the only person that mattered in his life. If he continued looking at her like that she would slap him.  
  
They got up and walked out, she didn't realize she had been in there for such a long time it was pitch black, except for the moon which appeared to be extremely close to the ground and very bright. Not that she minded, she was after all, away from home with two people whom she had no trust in and had to stay with them and trust them.  
  
"You can stay with me, my father owns a small tavern not far from the city." Sapphire said.  
  
They agreed and left, as they walked Sappho started to hum a rather enchanting song. She was soon singing with a beautiful voice:  
  
Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow  
  
Of crystal, wandering water,  
  
Thou art an emblem of the glow  
  
Of beauty-the unhidden heart-  
  
The playful maziness of art  
  
In old Alberto's Daughter;  
  
But when within thy wave she looks-  
  
Which glistens then, and trembles-  
  
Why, then, the prettiest of brooks  
  
Her worshipper resembles;  
  
For in his heart, as in thy stream,  
  
Her image deeply lies-  
  
His heart which trembles at the beam  
  
Of her soul-searching eyes.  
  
Eris guess that Vitron had popped a few of his turrets pills because he was silent. The further they walked the more they looked like zombies.  
  
"Good" thought Sappho, "my song is working now they will be easy to convince."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN:: LaLaLaLaLa... wasn't me... ^evil cliffy^ 


	4. Chapter 4

They arrived at the entrance to her underground cavern and walked into it where she continued singing to keep the spell. Suddenly Ogeid yelled for his sister, and Sappho stopped her song breaking the trance. Vitron and Eris figured out what was happening fast and ran to get out. When Eris saw who it was that yelled she ran in the other direction. Back deep into the cavern and was slammed into what appeared to be a jail cell with her brother. Vitron ran back for her and was shoved into another cell that disappeared when she shut the door.  
  
Something was going horribly wrong. How did she know and why did she do this? ~ ◊ ~  
  
"I bet you're wondering how I knew of your plans" Sappho cackled.  
  
"Well, yes, thank you captain obvious." Eris replied, figuring having an attitude wouldn't be a problem, she had nothing to lose.  
  
"Fist off you little twit," She shouted angrily, "I am not one to take that tone with, and second off, I could read your lips, or didn't you notice me watching you?"  
  
Eris and Vitron alike were ashamed of there carelessness, but Eris would never let Sappho know.  
  
"Oh, and I'm supposed to be afraid? Come on retard, I'm already screwed over, give me all you got." She replied, sighing like she had been there, done that.  
  
Sappho's face turned a deep shade of a red and suddenly she let out a screech of pain, her body was changing, the pretty innocent face of Sapphire transformed into the warped, twisted hideous face of Sappho's. The small petite body turned into that of a grown woman,  
  
"Scared now little girl?!" She tauntingly asked as Eris cowered back into her cell.  
  
"I...I'm not afraid!" She attempted weakly.  
  
"You should be, you do not know of the powers someone like I possess, so keep that attitude of yours checked or you might find yourself turned into a little stwirg, or perhaps an ugly beetle, to represent yourself, ugly and worthless." She said callously.  
  
"Shut up!" Eris sobbed "Shut up and leave me alone!" She fell back sobbing all those pent up tears.  
  
"Oh, what?" Sappho continued, "Poor little Eris has no friends? Well, maybe if you tried a little harder to make them, instead of alienating yourself, you were a failure to your parents, A FAILURE!" She finished screaming gleefully.  
  
"You are insane, crazy, psycho, and I want you to burst into flames." Eris replied with a new sense of courage. She was not a failure, sure she didn't have any friends but her parents loved her more than they loved her disowning brother, and my evil ugly stepsister who always ran around screaming.  
  
"OHHHHHH is that supposed to scare me?"  
  
"Yes, if you don't let me out and de-enchant my brother I will sick my demented step sister on you."  
  
"Oh, so I am supposed to be scared." She stated mockingly, but there was a glint of fear in her eyes.  
  
"Yes, you have never met my stepsister. She is huge she could take you down from a mile away. You have no idea."  
  
"Well, yes as positively sure I am that your demented, screaming, giant of a sister could get me Lordess of death, destruction, and darkness. There is no doubt in my mind of this (sarcastic pause) but how is it that you are going to get your demented, screaming, giant sister over here? Surely you don't think you can get out? Plus even if you did and you were to call her would she really be able to hear your cry of help over her own wallowing?" Sappho replied finding herself foolish for being scared that Eris' family might look for her. And yet she still remembered last time she took one of the children of Daricend. The crowds coming and chasing after her, as if she were a monster. And destroying her home. "Its step sister and you need to watch yourself, your treading on thin ice. How dare you speak of my family and how I have supposedly 'failed' them." though when she herself said the words she felt a pang of guilt and hurt.  
  
"Please child. Everyone here can see the hurt in your face and the pain in your voice as you try to tell yourself such lies." Sappho sneered.  
  
"Lies? LIES? You truly do not stand there and tell ME about lying. You are after all, the Lordess of such things. You tricked us and brought us here through trickery and magic, but please tell me more about how I am lying to myself, because you are the one who would know." Eris replied sharply not allowing herself to really hear what Sappho said.  
  
~ ◊ ~  
  
The entire time Vitron was watching her and falling even more in love with every word coming form her fiery tempered voice. He didn't know that she couldn't see him or the person sitting in the cell next to him.  
  
"She can't see you, you do know that right? It's an entranced cell it disappears when it's shut and they can't see or hear anything that comes from here."  
  
"Well as fascinating as that is I do not care. Who are you anyway?"  
  
"I'm her brother, Ogeid, she thinks that guy is me because we look alike, but his name is really Roberto. Sappho drew us in with her songs much like you."  
  
"Well, Ogeid I don't want to hear you sap story, I have no pity for you. All I want is to get out and save Eris. It is your fault that she was dragged here in the first place and you should be worried about her, not yourself and making stupid introductions." Vitron replied rather severely.  
  
"Well, unlike you, I am just trying to make a bad situation—"  
  
"Worse?" Vitron asked sarcastically.  
  
"No, look we may be here a while so I suggest that you get comfortable. And maybe try being polite for once." answered Ogeid.  
  
"I can't do that and you should know I can't since obviously know so much about me," Vitron countered with sarcasm so heavy it filled the room and seemed to thicken the air, and with a heavy sigh he went on, "look, I'm sorry but I can't just stand by so calmly, I love her and if anything happens to her I will die of heartbreak."  
  
"That's a little dramatic don't you think? I'm not calm, I just used to this. Having to stand by watching more and more people cast by her spell and not being able to do anything to prevent it. How do you think I feel." Ogeid asked rhetorically.  
  
Not listening to anything he just said Vitron recapped on what he said earlier...'It disappears once its shut' "THAT MEANS SHE DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO LOCK IT!" Before Ogeid could say anything Vitron was bolting toward the cells door.  
  
"STO--- "Ogeid yelled but he didn't have time to stop Vitron. He didn't tell him that she put a spell on the cells. When the door was opened when it was invisible he would fall down a never ending black hole.  
  
~ ◊ ~  
  
"Don't go, it will be the end of you!" Ogeid screamed frantically.  
  
Vitron paused "You're just jealous because you didn't think of it." He replied snidely...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN:: *says in a sarcastic voice* oh no whats going to happen?!... now really folks what do u think... lol 


	5. Chapter 5

Ogeid, already fed up with his new cell mate's stupid and careless attitude, thought of only one way to save him, though he couldn't find any good reason to save him in the first place.  
  
"If you go through there, Sappho will kill Eris on the spot, don't do it, please, I beg of you!" He said, thinking about what a damn good actor he was. Some people are so ignorant, you just got to lie, or they'll never understand. Not to mention this loser says he is in love with my sister, what a creep, maybe it would be better if he did get sucked into the never ending black hole...  
  
At this, Vitron turned and slowly made his way back to the furthest corner of the cell, returning to his state of stupid stupidity.  
  
~ ◊ ~  
  
"Well, I must be off to a ball," She said sweetly "Unlike you, Sapphire has friends, and is popular with all the guys, and now that I think about it, they all end up in here, hmm, what a coincidence." She walked off, transformed, laughing.  
  
~ ^ ~  
  
Eris sank down, rather tired from her heated conversation with Sappho, glad she was gone, she needed to think, how to get out of here, how to get her brother out of here. Then she remembered, her brother!  
  
"Brother!" She said happily, "How hath thy been? It has been months since we have last spoken, oh, my dear Ogeid, mother and father have grieved for you ever so greatly, it would be most wonderful to bring you home at last..." She couldn't seem to stop rambling.  
  
"Um, what's your name again?" He asked quite puzzled, for he, first off, had no family that he could remember, and second off, his name was not Ogeid. He had told her earlier that it was Roberto, something was amiss.  
  
"Eris," Eris said trying to keep her anger from seething through, her own brother did not even know her!  
  
"Well, my dearest Eris, whom I have just met, I have no family, you must mistake me for some other prisoner here, I am but an orphan captured by the so called Lordess Sappho." He said, hoping she wouldn't go crazy and be in denial.  
  
"But, you__ you __you told me your name was Ogeid, just as my brothers is!" She exclaimed trying to comprehend.  
  
"What?" He became alarmed, "I said no such thing, I clearly stated that my name was Roberto...do not fret child, it is probably Sappho's doing." He concluded.  
  
Eris greatly resented being called a child by a man who was barely older than herself she guessed. "No child am I, for there is not a possible way I am but a few years younger than you."  
  
"I am 18 goleeces with in the next fortnight, and you cannot be older than 15 with that pretty naïve face of yours." He said teasingly.  
  
Her face reddened, making her abundant freckles stand out even more, "For your lovely information Roberto, I am older than 15, my 16th goleeces was just this last passing of the Stwirg." She finished matter of factly.  
  
"Calm down there, we don't want a pissed off Eris on our hands do we?" He tried once again at humor.  
  
Eris, finally catching on, haltingly laughed, and settled into the cheerful banter of friends. Unaware that Vitron and her true brother sat close by watching jealously.  
  
~ ^ ~  
  
Sappho skipped home, happy at a nights work well done, humming an eerie tune feared by the inhabitants of Daricend.  
  
She died; she went to burning flame:  
  
She mixed her ancient blood with shame.  
  
The wind is howling in a turret and tree.  
  
Whole weeks and months, and early and late,  
  
To win his love I lay and wait:  
  
O the Earl was fair to see!  
  
I kissed his eye lids into rest:  
  
His ruddy cheeks upon my breast.  
  
The wind is ragging turret and tree.  
  
I hated him with the hate of hell,  
  
But I loved his beauty passing well.  
  
O Earl was fair to see!  
  
I rose up in the silent night:  
  
I made my dagger sharp and bright,  
  
The wind is raving in turret and tree.  
  
As half asleep his breath he drew,  
  
Three times I stabbed him through and through.  
  
O the Early was fair to see!  
  
~ ^ ~  
  
Long ago, before humans inhabited this fine land, it was a rule of Stwirgs. Magic seethed and pulsed through the ground, through everything. All was well, life was a swell thing. The passing of the days was not a thought, and the mystics of the ages swirling in at out, thine heart drew nearer and nearer to the truth, but it was all in vain, for the race of men ruined the Stwirgs Eden.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN:: what have we learned about the Stwirgs now hm??? Guess you'll have to wait! 


End file.
